HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 152
page A150
Goals See Planning; Purpose
Godliness See Character; Faithfulness; Maturity
Grace See Mercy & Grace
Gratitude See Thankfulness
Greed See Giving
Grief See also Betrayal; Death; Regrets; Suffering
G
Grief comes from suffering, discomfort, confusion, restlessness, pain, heartache, and
usually with plenty of tears. Some grief, like losing a loved one, can be understood only
by those who have walked that dark valley before. Grief is like a deep pit. It tortures our
soul and robs us of the joy of living. But there is a great theme in the Bible—that although
we walk through the valley of the shadow, there can be comfort and hope, as long as
God is with us. He doesn’t spare us from grief in this life, but he does help us through it.
And ultimately, he helps us overcome it for all eternity.
When do we grieve?
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• R U T H 1 :9 | Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.
• NE H E MI A H 2 :2 -3 | So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad?” . . . I replied,
“. . . The city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed
by fire.”
We grieve when we see loved ones hurt or in great need.
• J O H N 1 1 :3 5 | Then Jesus wept.
• A C T S 9 :3 9 | The room was filled with widows who were weeping.
We grieve over the death of a loved one.
• J A ME S 4 :9 | Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief.
Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :1 0 | For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away
from sin and results in salvation.
We should genuinely grieve for our sins and beg God to remove them. Until Christ
has cleansed us of those sins, we nurture them, and they continue to lurk within us.
Confession and forgiveness will cleanse sin and wipe away the tears that unconfessed
sin brought.
• L U K E 1 3 :3 4 | “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . ! How often I have wanted to gather your
children together as a hen protects her chicks.”
We should grieve over lost souls.
How can I get over my grief? Is it possible?
• G E NE S I S 5 0 :1 | Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him.
• 2 S A MU E L 1 8 :3 3 | The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the
gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom!”
First, recognize that grief is necessary and important. We need the freedom to grieve. It is
an important part of closure because it allows us to honestly express the way we feel.
• G E NE S I S 2 3 :2 -4 | There Abraham mourned and wept for her. Then, leaving her body, he
said to the Hittite elders, “. . . Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper
burial.”